Oxygen
by Yella
Summary: This is another chapter story. Please Read and Review :. The title of each chapter is from lyrics of Not Ready to Make Nice' By the Dixie Chicks.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Not Ready to Make Nice

A/N: Thank you to my fans who have still been roaring about my fanfictions. I personally, don't think they're the best things in the world, but since I still have readers, I decided maybe it's time to write a few more. Thanks for the support 

Alex tripped over the empty beer cans flooding the floor as she walked into the living room. She followed the trail of empty cans to Chad's sleeping carcass. Her mom, closely behind, was awaking on the couch, with a staggering cough. "That you Lexi?" She called.

"Yea, mom, just leaving. Didn't mean to disturb your hangover." Alex grabbed her purse and coat and headed for the door.

"Now, Lexi, don't be like that. We had fun last night…it was a good night."

"Yea, maybe for you and Chad. But what about next time mom? Huh? Next time he turns and upper cuts you and bust your nose up into your skull. What then will it be 'fun'?"

"Lexi, you know it'll never be that bad." Emily got off the couch and fumbled over to the door, "Lexi, Lexi, Lexi…things weren't much better with your father around. Oh, but you were probably too young for that." Emily brushed the beer cans closer to the coffee table with her foot.

"No mom…I remember. That's why I can't stand it here. If these walls could talk…"

"Your father's never stepped foot into this house young lady."

"I don't know. I don't really give a damn who you bring into this house and who you fuck. At least Chad's lasted this long, and he isn't much better."

"Lexi you shut your damn mouth right now, or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" Alex stood up in front of her mom, out sizing her by at least 3 inches. She stuck her chin out for her mom to take a swing.

"You're pathetic just like he was." Emily blurted as she lowered her fist and staggered back to the couch.

"I guess I'll never know just how 'pathetic' he was though, huh?" and with that, Alex walked out of her apartment.

Paige was sitting on a park swing set as Spinner came by with hot dogs and sodas. "For my lovely lady." He grinned his big toothy grin and handed her her soda and hot dog.

"Al-," she stopped herself looking at Spinner with an apologetic face, then noticed he was too concern with his hot dog, "Spin, you know I can't eat this." She had been realizing since graduation let out two weeks ago that she was still saying Alex's name. Her and Spinner had only been dating for a week since graduation, but Paige honestly thought this time they could make it work. "Heh."

"What's so funny, Paige?" Spinner choked through this bite of hot dog.

"I was just thinking about something I told Hazel before school let out."

"What was that? That you were going to marry me and have my babies?"

"No. And I have never thought about that, actually, but…oh sorry, I just, ugh. Don't make this complicated. I told her that I was free now to date whomever I wanted, that was the same day Alex-" Paige looked down in the soft sand that she had been brushing her foot through.

"You've been talking about her ever since school let out. Sounds like you wanted to marry her." Spinner snorted a laugh out.

Paige looked over at him with a smirk, "What if I thought I would have?"

Spinner choked again as he laughed, "You can't be serious! She probably somewhere stoned out of her mind, sipping down vodka and living in a box or trash can."

Paige looked away from Spinner and to the red horizon as the sun started to go down. "You have no idea about her at all, do you?"

"Should I? She's all you talk about. Sometimes I wonder if you're even thinking about me when we're in bed together."

"Shouldn't I wonder the same about you and Darcy?" Paige lifted her eyebrows at Spinner, who blankly stared back.

"You think, when we're…you think I think about Darcy? Screw this," Spinner jumped up and started walking away from Paige.

"I think about Alex, ok?" Paige screamed as Spinner got up.

"You mean, even when I'm inside you, you think about that trailer trash? How could you Paige?"

Paige looked to the ground and then pulled herself up off the swing. "She's the only one that's ever mattered." Paige whispered, leaving a confused Spinner as she walked off into the distance.

New Chapter coming soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Forgive Sounds Good

Paige walked down the murky street of Degrassi. She knew going after Alex could mean so many things, first of all that she was in fact 'into' girls, secondly giving up her dream college Banting, and lastly losing all sanity. She arrived at the complex to face plant into someone's breast. "I'm sorry, I'm just looking for my –"

"Yeah, watch what you're-" They stopped and stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, "Paige?"

"Hey, Alex…I'm sorry, I should go." She removed the hair from her blushing face, "Stupid me for thinking I should come here, huh?"

"No, not at all. I'm actually relieved." Alex straightened her tank top out.

"I didn't, I mean, I wanted to come talk to you. I didn't know that I would umm…land, there, exactly."

Alex let a sly smile grace her face, "Yea, but I enjoyed it."

"See there you go, all pervy and stuff. You know, why can't it just be a friendly meeting between us? Why does it always have to be so-"

"Sexual?" Alex moved over to Paige and touched her arm, "Because Paige, we can't JUST be friends."

Paige felt heat growing from where Alex was gripping her arm and flinched away. "I know…"

"And why did you come here?" Alex asked, annoyed by the sudden change in Paige's demeanor.

"I didn't come here for…" Paige stood, looking Alex up in down. She missed the way it felt for Alex to hold her and her curves bend to match her own.

"You didn't?" Alex's smile was back.

"Ok, I missed the view, I'll admit it. But I didn't want it to end up this way. I wanted to talk to you. Actually have a conversation for the first time in about, oh, I don't know, 3 weeks?" Paige gave Alex the 'knowing' look.

Alex bit her lip and gave Paige the once over, "I know…we should behave ourselves. After all you still have that shit-for-brains boyfriend. And I'm not about to be a home wrecker," Alex looked up into Paige's eyes.

"Funny you mention that." Paige stepped closer to Alex and took her hand in her own, "I think it's time for me to relocate."

Alex glanced down at the intertwined hands, "You mean?"

"Yes, Alex. I'm not sure how far, but I've made a list in my head of things I'm willing to sacrifice for you. Social status, friends, family, and those things I can deal with. But I have to ask you one thing. And that's about Banting. I can't go without you. I won't go without you."

"Paige, we've been through this before. I can't go to a school like Banting. I don't have that kind of money."

"I can help you. I will help you. Or you can just move up there with me, and we will figure something out from there."

"No, Paige. I have to figure it out for my own. I want us to work, but…" Alex stopped, "You know, I gotta go…"

"Alex!" Paige hollered behind her, but Alex was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Time Heals Everything

Alex braced her self-tight up against an alleyway wall. Her face was red with aggravation and her fist white from clutching them to herself for the long walk away from Paige. _'What am I doing?' _Alex thought. Paige had come to see her, and she was screwing it up by walking away. She bit her bottom lip and focused her eyes on something to get her mind of off the astonishing blonde. _"I can't think of her right now. Not with everything happening with my family…what if she leaves me for Spinner…I wouldn't be able to handle it. I wouldn't even be able to stand up to her. I'm the 'bad-ass' and I'm taken by some confused cheerleader. I'm not confused."_ She reminded herself about the night after She and Paige had broken up. That night was the night she had ran into Jay sitting on her couch and watching football. When he turned around, she told him there was no hope. She knew for a fact that she was never confused. She was jealous when Paige was with Spinner. But thanks to him, that's how she met Paige in the first place. Paige wrecking Spinner' car into that jackass Dean's car, she had to get a job. Alex realized then that Paige would become a part of her that wouldn't be replaced anytime soon.

Alex looked from the ground and up to a slender body standing next to her. Paige was crying out of breath.

"I ran, all the way, here." She sobbed a bit, trying to catch her breath.

"Why, Paige?" Alex whispered.

"Because, I wanted, to catch, up with you."

"Paige," Alex looked into the blue eyes starring back at her. "Do you remember when Spinner got you fired from the Theater?"

"Yea, what about it?" Paige remarked, finally being able to speak properly.

"I got the job back for you. I saw you there, and I saw how he was treating you. I knew then you didn't deserve to be with a guy like that. And for a while, you weren't with any guys. I had you all to myself. Then you started hanging over Mr. O. What was I to do, Paige? The woman that I was falling madly in love with," she paused, giving her fakest smile ever, "Was falling into the arms of another sleazy guy. He wouldn't appreciate her worth, her beauty, or her intelligence."

Paige bit down on her lower lip, looking down at Alex's feet.

Alex continued, "But then I got to thinking about it one night all alone in my room, and I thought, "Am I any better then those guys? Would I even be better than Dean?" I knew I could hurt you so horribly, that you might be afraid to be with anyone else. So, what did I do? I saw that when Matt came back into town, and he had hurt you, again and again. This time, he gave you as present, this time; he gave you something that would at least take that pain away for a momentary fake bliss. And I was right there with you. Because I knew you needed that joint. Maybe, I don't know, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I knew, I knew deep down, that if I couldn't be with you, I could at least try, in my own messed up, fucked up way, to make you feel a little better."

"I remember. I almost didn't get into Banting."

"I know…and a part of me didn't care about Banting, or what Mr. O would think, it wasn't about any of that."

"Then what was it about Alex? Were you trying to make me look like a complete…"

"It was just about you. It always has been." Alex cut Paige's sentence off. "Even when we were dancing together at the movie premier, and Jay came up, I wanted to do nothing more than protect you, and make you feel better, because Mr. Smith cut you out. Because you deserved that night more than my need to want to go out and have a good time, to get away from the craziness at home. I wanted to go because of you. I went and danced and tricked the damn bouncer, because I knew you would enjoy yourself. You would be magnificent. And that's when I knew."

"What?" Paige took Alex's hand in her own, lacing there fingers together.

"That's when I knew I was better than those guys. I knew what you needed. And yea, I screwed up because I got scared about the future. Banting won't accept me, I don't have the money for it, but I could find somewhere to go. I could find a college around you that would accept me. And I got so excited. But then I started thinking about how I don't want to know what the future will entail for me; I just know I want it with you. I know that's what I want in my future. Screw college or a job. I know that doesn't make you happy to hear, but that's not what is on my ten year plan, Paige. I know that loving you is." She leaned in, her lips closing in on Paige's pout teary lips, and kissed them slowly, grazing her soft lips against Paige's and back again.

After a while, Paige stepped back and looked into Alex's eyes. "Fuck Banting…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – I'm Still Waiting

"Fuck Banting," Paige whispered out again against Alex's earlobe, "We can be together, we can go to the same college. I don't have to go to Banting to get a degree."

"But Paige," Alex pulled back, unable to process what Paige had said clearly, "What?"

"You heard me, if you can't get accepted to Banting, then I don't think I would want to attend or spend all my hard earned movie theater waged money on a school that won't accept someone as wonderful as you."

"Paige Banting is your dream, it's where you've always wanted to go."

"Yea, maybe. But I always thought I'd grow up and marry some guy too, you know? But, things have changed for me since I've met you. I am still the same girl, just, now I'm your girl. And you're my girl."

"I know, but Paige, I'm not even sure college is for me. I'm not sure that that's what I want out of life. It was never in my interest to go there anyhow. But it's your dream, it's what you want to do, so it's cool." Alex kissed the top of Paige's head, "We will figure it out, besides," Alex shrugged, "That's months away from now." Alex stood up and pulled Paige up along with herself. Smiling, she slowly crept up to her apartment with Paige, and snuck into her room.

"Uh huh, what are we doing here?" Paige smiled slyly.

Alex, without a word, pulled Paige down to the bed with her. She let Paige's body press against her own as she laid on her back and Paige laid on top of her. She slid a leg between Paige's thighs, coaxing a soft growl from Paige's throat. Alex kissed up and down Paige's neck, slowly moving her knee in slow motions between Paige's legs.

"Ok," Paige jumped up a bit, pressing Alex's shoulders to the bed, "Slow down, Ms. Gonzalez."

"What?" Alex grinned then shook her head, "Sorry, I got caught in the moment."

"Yea, I'd say," Paige smiled back at her clever vixen, "We just got back together, maybe we should slow it down a bit?"

"Humm, as long as you promise we will pick this up sometime, then yes."

Paige leaned down and softly sucked on Alex's bottom lip, tugging on it between her teeth, and then releasing it. "I promise. After all, we have forever for everything."


End file.
